Stamp-affixing device.



C. L. PETERS. STAMP APPIXING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED .APR-30,v 1908. 927,749. Patented July 13, 1909.

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G'. L. PETERS.

STAMP AFPIXING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APB..30, 1908.

927,749. Patented July 13, 1909.

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CHARLES L. PETERS, OF MARINETTE, WISCONSIN.

STAMP-AFFIXING DEVICE No. eer/,749.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18, 1909.

Application filed April 30, 1908. Serial No. 430,053.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. PETERS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Marinette, in the county of Marinette and State of lVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stamp- Aflixing Devices; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective device for aflxing stamps to envelops, cards or like articles, its construction and arrangement being such that stamps with their gum-side up are fed 'from a continuous strip to an anvil and moistened. An envelop or card is then placed in position over the moistened stamp, and said stamp is severed from the strip and simultaneously pressed upon the inserted article by a suitable die-block. This entire operation is accomplished by the down-stroke of a manually-operated plunger, the upstroke of which plunger serving to impart motion to a train of gears in connection with a feed-mechanism, whereby another stamp is fed to the anvil.

The invention therefore consists in various details of construction and combination of parts as hereinafter fully set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 represents a sectional elevation of a stamp-aiiixing device embodying the essential features of my invention, the plunger being shown slightly depressed in order to illustrate the stampmoistening roller in position upon the anvil, which position it assumes in passing over a stamp from the moistening-pan; Fig. 2, a front elevation of the device with portions broken away and in section to better illustrate the details, the parts being all in their normal position and at rest; Fig. 3, a plan sectional view of same, the section being indicated by line 3 3 of Fig. 1 Fig. 4, a detail cross-section of the feeding-mechanism, the section being indicated by line 4 4 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5, a detail elevation of a backing-ratchet mechanism and hand-button for actuating the feeding-mechanism.

Referring by numerals to the drawings, 1 indicates a base having parallel standards 2 secured thereto, which standards are connected by an upper bridge-piece 3, a pair of forward bridge-pieces 4 and a stay-rod 5 to rear of said standards. The upper bridgepiece 3 is centrally bored and serves as a guide for the shank portion of a plunger 6 having a flat slotted extension, which extension is provided with a series of rack-teeth 7 at its lower end. The extension of the plunger is also guided by a pin 8 that passes through the slot therein and is secured to the standards, there being suitable collars secured to the pin adjacent the sides of said plungerextension, whereby lateral play thereof is obviated. A head S) secured to the upper end of the plunger-shank, between which head and the bridge-piece 3 is inserted a coil-spring 10 that eneircles said plunger shank. rl`he coil-spring serves to retract and hold the plunger in normal position, the upward stroke thus attained being limited by a collar 11 constituting part of the plunger-extension, which collar abuts on the lower face of the bridge-piece. The rack-teeth 7 of the plunger are meshed with a mutilated pinion 12 having a shoe 13,

.which shoe is adapted to abut the face of the plunger-extension above the rack-teeth thereof when said plunger is on its downward stroke. The shoe when resting upon the 'face of the plunger-extension serves to hold theI pinion in position to be engaged by the rack upon the return-stroke of the aforesaid plunger.

The pinion is secured to a spindle 14 revolubly mounted in the standards, the spindle having also secured thereto a gear-wheel 15, which gear-wheel is meshed with an idle gearwheel 16 mounted upon a stud 18 supported in said standards, there boing a 'flat-spring 18a adapted to exert pressure upon the stud to insure steady rotation thereof. The idle gear-wheel 1S is in turn meshed with a gearwheel 19 fast on a shaft 20, which shaft is revolubly supported by the standards and has loosely mounted thereon a drum 21. One end of the drum is provided with a ratchet-face 22 for engagement with a pawl 23, which pawl is pivoted to the gear-wheel 19 and is held in engagement with the ratchet-face by a spring also carried by said gear-wheel. The opposite end of the drun'r has a sleeve 211, which projects through a bearing aperture in the adjacent side-standard, and is provided with a ratchet-wheel 25 having a hand-button 26 extending therefrom. This ratchet-wheel is engaged by a spring-pressed pawl 25LL which is mounted upon the side standard and prevents overthrow or back-motion of the drum when the latter is actuated by the gear-train to impart a forward-l`eed to the strip of stamps. ,Located directly under the drum 2l is a spool 27, the base l being recessed topper-mit the 2 face of the spool to project therethrough and impinge against the lower face of said drum; The spool-spindle is hung in ears 2S that are fast on theV arms of a 1llanepi-ing secured to said base, the spring being supplied to exert a yielding-contactbetween the `gripping-s,urfaces yof the aforesaid `drumfV and spool, whereby the strip of stamps isffed` forward;

immediately forward of the feeding-ineen anism `iust descrihed, the base is provided with a cross-groove 30 andy alsoA a countorsink, into which latter is ilushly littedy a shear-plate 3l as liest shown inlllig. l of the drawings. This shear-plate is alined v-.f'itlrk a knife 32 having an oblique cutting-edge, the

knife being carried by a die-hloclr 33, 'which die-hloclr has apair of upwardly extending guide-rods 3e that are reciprecative in apertures of the bridge-piece Ll. lncircling each of these guide-rods between the lower 1urid piece and collars 35 secured to said g .i Lerods are spiral-springs 35, which springs serve to return the die-clock when the latter is forced downward. The said die-block pro-y jects in the path of travel otl the end oi the plunger-extension, which end is adapted to engage the aforesaid diellocl and force the same downward as the plunger is depressed, the engagement taking place `appr-eximately midway oi the downstrolre of said plunger. That portion of the hase directly under the die-bloclr constitutes an anvil 37 upon which the envelop or card desired to be stamped7 is placed. The standards directly above the anvil are out away to serve as edge-guides for said envelop or card, while a gage-plate 3S limits the forward ond-thrust thereof, the gage being secured to said` anvil. As shown in Figs. l and 2 of the drawings, the base ifetween the side-standards and to the roar oi the feed-mechanism comprises a table upon which the strip of stamps is adapted to slide, and with this in view the said base-portion is provided with a longitudinal spacingstrip 39 upon which a cover-plate e() is ksecured by suitable screws, the rear end of the cover-plate heing slightly upturned to facilitate the insertion of the strip of stamps thereunder.

The stamp -noistening apparatus co nprises a wiper in the form of a roller il or" suitable absorbing material, which roller is loosely mounted upon a stud 42 carried by a link e3, ythc rear end of the linlr being in hinge-connection with the long-arm of a lever 43a. This lever is fulcrumed to an ear of a bracket le that projects from the topportion of the adjacent standard, the short` arm off the lever 43a being beveled. at its en d and disposedin the path of a tappet-rod e5,

which rod ydepends from the head yof `the normal position, "tl,

plunger', and is guided at its ond in an apertured lug of the bracket el. The beveled end orPA the short-arm of lever 453g is held in f Contact with the end of the'tappet-rod by a coilesprir Q and a kpin carried by the long lever, which arm is proferahly hel f,

side-play y a looped guide-roele7 fast to the said standard.

As shov` n Fig, 2, ythe parts yb isten waterfpan hase upon the forward side oi upper edge of the pan adjacent said anvil be ing approximately upon the' sa 1e plane as the latter, whereby the roller .i ay be readily withdra ,vn from its immersed position in said panier the purpose oi distributing moisture upon stamp in itstravel. f

ln the opmation oil my dei-rice strip ol stamps their gum-side upward is'inserted Vunder the cover-plate 4G, and pushed forward until the edge of tho irst stainp enters between the l mandi spool. operator th i revolves t ydrum by turning the hand-button 25 so as bring the first stamp Thereafter the directly u l tomatically one by one with i he dier the dio-block. stamps are ledau nearly exhausted another taohed to the end of the nrst strip u hesive paper tape so that the feeding will be practically continuous. A stamp being upon the die-block the operator pushes the plunger gl until said plunger is momentW rxily arrested by itsy end cor ing into contact with said die-block, this check in the stroke being well donned by reason of the added resistance of the two die-block springs. downvard movement of the pl nger caused the tappet-,rod 4:5 to act immediately upon the lever e3 s wingingA the same outward at itsV lower end, which action draws the moistening-roller over the gummed surface of the stamp. T he roller will now remain upon the 1 e6 tast to an ear of the standard,

The initial.

Aoh; issecureel to they c anvil the sor opposite side or" the anvil (as indicatedby` u dotted lines in Fig. 2) until such time as the plunger has practically returned to its normal position, owing to the fact that the tappet-V rod impinges against the beveled end of the short-arm of the lever and holds said lever outward. Simultaneous with the above described action, the plunger rech-teeth have caused rotation oi the train of gears by ime pawl 23 of said gear-train has slipped upon f ratchet-face 22 of the drum.

W hen thek several parts are inthe position as `gustk described andbeing arrested inthe downstroke of the plunger, the operator will insert the envelop or card in position upon the stamp and thereafter continue the downstroke of the plunger, thus causing the stamp to be severed from the strip by carrying the die block downward with said plunger, which die-block also firmly aflixes the stamp to the article by pressure from above. The said article is then removed. The plunger and die-block are then immediately returned by their respective springs to their normal position, the return action of said plunger causing the gear-train to rotate in a reverse direction from that previously described, and by means of which the drum is caused to rotate, owing to its ratchet-face 22 being engaged by the pawl 23, thus feeding another stamp forward and permitting the return of the moistening-roller to the water-pan.

While I have described a complete mechanism for carrying out the various movements for accomplishing the desired result; it is understood that the described structural details may be varied within the knowledge of skilled-mechanics whereby similar movements essential to the invention'can be obtained.

I claim:

l. A stamp-affixing device comprising a base having standards, the base being provided with an anvil-portion and shearingplate, a vertically disposed spring-controlled plunger guided between the standards, rackteeth carried by the plunger, a stamp-feeding mechanism disposed rearward of the anvilportion of the base and shearing-plate, a geartrain connecting the feed-mechanism and rack-teeth of said plunger, a vertically disposed spring-centrolled die-block mounted between said standards over the anvil-portion of the aforesaid base and arranged to be actuated by the aforesaid plunger, a knife carried by the die-block, the Inife being alined with the shear-plate, a moistening-pan in connection with the base forward of its anvil-portion, an absorbing-roller arranged to normally rest in the tray, and means in connection with the roller adapted to be actuated by the lunger to cause travel of said roller across tie aforesaid anvil-portion of the base.

2. A stamp-afliving device comprising a base having standards, the base being provided with an anvil-portion and shearingplate, a vertically disposed spring-controlled plunger guided between the standards, rackteeth carried by the plunger, a stamp-feeding mechanism disposed rearward of the anvilportion of the base and shearing-plate, a gear-train connecting the feed-mechanism and rack-teeth of said plunger, a vertically disposed spring-controlled die-block mounted between said standards over the anvilportion of the aforesaid base and arranged to be actuated by the aforesaid plunger, a knife carried by the die-block, the knife being alined with the shear-plate, a Inoistening-pan in connection with the base forward of its anvil-portion, an absorbing-roller in leverconnection with one of the standards and adapted to normally rest in the moisteningpan, and means in connection with the plunger for actuating the lever connecting the absorbing-roller, whereby the latter is caused to travel across the anvil-portion of the base upon the initial downward movement of said plunger.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Marinette, in the county of Marinette and State of I/Visconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

CHAS. L. PETERS.

Witnesses L. C. WEMPLE, W. THUM. 

